Circling the Fire (Part 3 of our Buddhist/Hindu ceremony)

I've been dragging out these ceremony posts (1 & 2) so here is the third and final installment of our ceremony. We've ridden elephants, been through a parade of drummers and dancers and now we are about to light a fire.

Mr. Marg and I haven't quite figured out how to make a smooth transition from the Poruwa ceremony to Hindu ceremony so I'm just going to jump into the components of the Hindu ceremony we decided to include. If anyone has suggestions or ideas on transitions, please let me know!

Sankalpa
Mr. Margarita and I will say these sacred vows together, promising to:
- Always have faith in the divine
- Always treat each other with love and compassion
- Keep the mind pure and virtuous
- Be strong and righteous
- Show good-will, respect and affection to our parents and family members
- Raise our children to be strong in mind and body
- Always welcome and honor guests who come into our home

The Hindu priest will then light the sacred fire in the center of the Mandap. The fire symbolizes the eternal and omnipresent God who is the most holy witness to the wedding ceremony. The fire also represents an eternal light dispelling all darkness from our marriage.

Our Hindu Priest (Picture courtesy of B&G Photography)

Granthi Bundhan
The end of my veil will be tied to Mr. Marg's scarf symbolizing our union. My veil is cathedral length and might be too long so we might bring a shorter dupatta (scarf) to place over my head.

Dupatta (Courtesy of Andrena Photography)

Lajaa-Homa
Our brothers then hand us puffed rice which we will place into the sacred fire while praying for happiness and success.

Phere
We then walk around the sacred fire four times. The four rounds signify the four main objectives in life:
- Dharma - Character
- Artha - Wealth
- Kama - Desire
- Moksha - Liberation from suffering and unification with God

Phere (Courtesy of Andrena Photography)

Saptapadi
We will then take seven steps forward which symbolize the seven joint pledges we say to each other:

1. Together we shall share the responsibility of home and children


2. Together we shall develop physical, mental and spiritual strength to fulfill the needs of our family


3. Together we shall acquire prosperity by righteous means


4. Together we shall acquire knowledge, happiness and harmony by mutual love and trust


5. Together we shall strive to raise strong and virtuous children


6. Together we shall journey the religious and spiritual path


7. Together we shall be life long partners and remain true and faithful
   

Maang Sindoor
Mr. Marg will then put sindoor, a red powder, in the part of my hair. This welcomes me into his life as an eternal partner. The sindoor in my hairline is also said to represent my desire for my husband to have a long life.

Courtesy of flickr

Ring Exchange
We will exchange rings as a symbol of our love and union. This isn't an official tradition in the Hindu ceremony, but Mr. Margarita and I wanted to official exchange rings in our ceremony.

Aashirvad
The Hindu priest will then bestow blessings on us by chanting Vedic hymns. We will then seek blessings from God, our parents, and other respected relatives by bowing down to touch their feet as a show of respect. Family and friends are then invited to come up to the Mandap give us their blessings by showering us with flower petals and well wishes.

After Aashirvad, Mr.Margarita and I will make our way down the aisle as husband and wife (finally, phew!).

My gorgeous friend getting showered with flowers at her wedding a few weeks ago (Courtesy of B&G Photography)

To complete the Sri Lankan traditions, we will light a pahana (a tall oil lamp) and have a group of young girls sing the Jayamangala Gatha after we make our grand entrance.

I know it seems like an incredibly long ceremony but it was important for both Mr. Margarita and I to honor our cultures and traditions. We have changed or left out certain parts of the ceremonies that we didn't feel were as necessary since we are trying to keep the combined ceremonies to 1.5 hours.

Has anyone else tried to unite two (or more) cultures in one ceremony?